The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-03-25
LITERARY NEW YORK.
The Newspapers Said to Surpass the Maya
.. zines In their Own Field.

The literary product of New York
naturally falls into two general classes,
one comprising the new books and the
other the press, taking that word in its
comprehensive meaning. Far be il
from me to confound the press with
literature, writes a correspondent of
the Boston advertiser, but the two
overlap each other, there being liter
airy side to the press and periodical
aspect of literature.
In Analysing the literary life of New
York it will be found useful to observe
the above classification and to consider
the two parts separately, taking first
the periodical literature of the city.
There are GAP newspapers and periodi-
calls in New York. And taking these
first in the mass, without regard to
their literary character, this great body
of printed product includes 33 daily
newspapers, 259 weeklies, and 234
monthlies. There are also no less
than 22 quarterlies, name that GER
tainly has a literary sound. The re-
mainder of the GAP appear at various
intervals.
The New York press is remarkably
comprehensive in its scope and char
acter. Nine foreign languages are
represented, the German having long
lead, with total of 62 periodicals.
The Spanish are next with 9, then
come the French with z, the Scandina-
Wan and Bohemian with each, the
Italian with 8, the Hebrew with 2, and
the Polish and Hungarian with / each.
There are 80 periodicals designated
under the head of the religious press,
representing the following list of de-
nominations: Hebrew, Baptist, Spirit
ualist, Catholic, Methodist, Episcopal,
Evangelical, Reformed, Unsectarian;
Presbyterian, Swedenborgian, Free
Thought, Congregational, Undenomina-
tional, Reformed Catholic, Methodist
Episcopal, Religio-Scientific Christian,
Free Methodist, Wesleyan.
The educational press. so called, in
cludes ii local college papers, 8 jour-
mails of education, and periodicals de-
voted to penmanship, photography,
and deaf-mutes. There are 8 law
PCiiooNdlo, IL uCNoitu W iHSuIduCt,
and % to finance. Eight treat of
science in all her aspects, and mining,
electricity, and engineering, have 3
special organs each. Sport in its
wide sense inspires Ia, music 9, the
drama z, art 4, military life 4, and
the fashions 16. Various social or
CARNATIONS publish Is more. There
are A temperance organs and voice
for woman suffrage. Finally may be
mentioned the trade journals, though
few of these have any relation to litera-
ture. There are altogether 160 of
them, of which As deal with CONNER
cial interests, 9 with railroads, Is with
dry goods and clothing, and each
with the book trade and with scientific
inventions.
Now, perhaps third of these period
icals have a literary standard, and
make their editors, contributors, and
correspondents live up to it. And in
many cases this standard is high. Nor
is this SO only with respect to the press
that is deliberate in its periodicity.
When all is admitted that need be as to
the slovenly characteristics of daily
journalism, it may safely be contended
that the thirty-three daily newspapers
print vast amount of good literary
work. Indeed, if may be permitted
to free my mind in the NATTER l be-
lieve there is a higher literary stand
ard in the newspapers than in the
magazines. The necessity of hasty
publication in the cas- of the daily
press results in much slopwork.-.
But where copy can be prepared
with any leisure, as, for example. for
the Sunday issues, an almost disheart-
ening amount of real literature is pro-
duced. The daily papers, too, as every
body knows, have the help of the
ablest writer's of the age in their criti-
cal functions and special literary feat
ures. Urged by rivalry, the leading
newspapers are cagrr To buy matter
that has graphic merit, and many of
the brightest minds are exchanging Il
solid fame for an immediate mess of
pottage in the seductive guise of .space
rates"
The weekly and monthly press are
more apt to assume a virtue of .'fine
writing" if they have il not. But
many of them are warranted i'm calling
themselves literary. Out of the entire
$50 there may be 100, or certainly 30,
that have right to be included in the
literary life of New York. These
periodicals attract to the city and en-
courage to effort very large and in
teresting body of keen minds and train
ed pens. The modern Grub street"
is as crowded as ever, but it is the
Underwriters own fault, generally, in
these days, if he or she can not make
decent living.
We have seen that the field of work
is as wide as human thought itself,
and in each path eager rivals seek the
best that is offered. Here in this
city, beyond dispute, is the great lit
erary market of the country, and if one
has literary wares of merit they are
pretty sure to find a customer. But
because it is the bests market it is a
cruel one. 1t is the place for the good,
not the poor; for the strong, not the
weak. SO let young David be sure of
his sling before he pushes forth to defy
the Philistines.